ALPHA IOTA of PHI GAMMA DELTA THE BRAINSTORM LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Greetings Brothers, On behalf of our undergraduate chapter, I would like to thank you for your continued support and guidance. With yet another semester nearly in the books, Alpha Iota remains strong and prosperous, and our brotherhood continues to connect one another to achieve our goals and our path into the men we continually seek to become. Recognition is owed to the brothers, both graduate and undergraduate, who stand for our ideals and values; foster our community; and lead our group of men into the next chapter. Our chapter has made many steps in the right direction, yet we look to the future and to what must be done to achieve the growth of our brotherhood and our values into the definable and unmeasurable qualities of excellency. Our past cabinet has guided us through the trials with a steady hand. To Colby Woodvine (2017), Erik Brandt (2018), Anthony Lambert (2018), Important Contacts: Stephen Soko (2018), President (563) 726-1064 sjsoko@iastate.edu Nick Costello (2019), Treasurer (563) 579-5109 nkc@iastate.edu Jorge Abascal (2018), Murphy Hanson (2019), Jesse Katamay (2018) and Nick Dohrmann (2018): thank you for your service and your continued guidance. The chapter’s successes are in large part to your devotion and impartial decision-making. To Eli McKeever (2017): your scholastic passion has fostered our development from a 3.04 to a 3.15 to a 3.22 GPA. continued on page two... Contents Letter from the President........2 Pledge Writting...........................3 Homecoming...............................4 Service & Philanthropy.............4 Award Recognition....................5 Purple Legionnaire Q&A..........6 Pig Dinner.....................................7 Andrew Messina (2019), Recording Secretary (952) 221-6661 amessina@iastate.edu Hunter Busyn (2019), Corresponding Secretary (763) 772-8428 thbusyn@iastate.edu Marcus Knouse (2019), Historian (563) 441-0420 mmknouse@iastate.edu Paul Dudley (2012), Purple Legionnaire (308) 529-0670 pryandudley@gmail.com Caleb Evers (2013), BCA Advisor (563) 249-4066 cbevers@iastate.edu Adam Jacobs (1995), House Corps Director (515) 669-9142 ajacobs802@yahoo.com Lynn Schroeder (1976) (515) 708-8629 \r\nLETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Continued To Max Kuehn (2019), Zach Hansen (2018), and Max Loebig (2016): your philanthropic passion has driven our chapter to give over $2,000 to both the United Services Organization and to the Greek Community, where donations were sent to two deserving women fighting cancer. And to our brothers: thank you for your service and self-sacrifice, for you are the engine of our will and purpose. Our 2020 pledge class is 32 members strong, delivered to us by Brian Toman (2019) and Alex Champagne (2018), whose efforts were outstanding. Their efforts could not be in part to the brothers whom played a hand and the graduates whom lent guidance and recommendation. Our educators, headed by Adolfo Arenas (2016) and accompanied by Nick Costello (2019), Mitchell Riggs (2018), Kyle Geolat (2018), and Ben Theile (2018), have been firm and driven to deliver a class which represents our chapter, our fraternity and all that we hold dear. The successes in the community, specifically 4th place in Greek Week (2016) and 3rd place in Homecoming (2016), have been a testament to the efforts of the chapter-at-large. Yet, it would be undue to not highlight the members who led the charge. To Mark Cox (2018), Nick Arnold (2017), Mason Niehoff (2019), Weston Morgan (2018), Alex Champagne (2018), Alex Menke (2016), Ben Theile (2018), Brian Toman (2019) and Eric Bergquist (2019): thank you for leading the path and sacrificing for the greater good of the chapter. And to the brothers whom stood up when they were called, these awards are a symbol of your energy. We look forward to a prosperous spring and Greek Week with Pi Beta Phi. A new day has come at Alpha Iota and, while we look fondly on the past, we gear towards the future. I am proud to introduce the incoming cabinet: Nick Costello (2019), Treasurer; Andrew Messina (2019), Record- Page 2 ing Secretary; Hunter Busyn (2019), Corresponding Secretary; and Marcus Knouse (2019),Historian. Guidance from Paul Dudley (2012), Purple Legionnaire; Caleb Evers (2013), BCA Advisor; Adam Jacobs (1995), House Corps Director; and Lynn Schroeder (1976) will assist our cabinet through transition to leadership. Our cabinet’s priorities are steadfast and clear. As the second largest chapter on campus with 111 members, we seek nothing short of the best of Alpha Iota and the best in each of us. Alpha Iota will continue to grace the top of the standings with ambitions nothing short of first; will put forth every and all efforts necessary to achieve our GPA of a 3.25; and, most importantly, will serve as the guiding and mentoring force to build on the successes of the past and to continue to grow as a chapter and as the men we seek to become, driven by the values instilled. Pig Dinner is fast approaching, and I speak for the undergraduate chapter when I say we are all looking forward to your arrival. The date is April 22. Our brother, Matt Delanoit (2017), will be passing the reigns onto Danny Gustafson (2018) (dannyg@iastate.edu) and Scott Burger (2019) (scburger@iastate.edu). Pig Dinner represents the brotherhood we share at the highest of ideals, and the excitement builds as the spring nears. Finally, a debt of gratitude is owed to the graduates. This chapter stands strong today because of you. Your service and brotherhood connected each one of us here today and brought this chapter to our graces. 110 years of success and the longest continually running chapter on campus is evidence of your fortitude. As the winter comes and many dear friends leave or prepare to leave the undergraduate chapter, the path you have set forth continues within each of us and within Alpha Iota. Thank you. \r\nPLEDGE WRITING: Hello, my name is Mitchell Hammond and I’m from Naperville, IL majoring in mechanical engineering and am one of 32 pledges in the 2020 pledge class. A whopping 17 of us are from the Land of Lincoln, with a majority residing in the suburbs of Chicago, a surprising six pledges come from the rolling hills of Iowa, five more come from the bitter cold of Minnesota, and the rest come from the all different corners of the Midwest. We are all very involved outside of Phi Gamma Delta. For example, 10 of us are currently members of Freshmen Council, two more than last year and a new record for FIJI. A handful of us are running for next year’s executive board positions. Freshmen Council is the student government that mainly serves the freshmen at ISU. A few of us are also involved in research groups and clubs that relate to our respective major. More than half of the class is currently in pre-business, with the smaller majority being mostly engineers. I reckon the number of engineers will start to dwindle in the next two semesters, as a few always give in and go into business. This year, Iowa State surpassed Georgia Tech and we now have the largest mechanical engineering program in the country. Currently, there are only two MEs in our class, but others are considering switching. Eric Gnat, majoring in civil engineering from Clarendon Hills, IL, recently accepted a summer internship with Nucor Steel Company. The entire house was extremely impressed by Eric, for he is a freshman. He hopes to be stationed in Arizona, but Illinois and Florida are also options for him to reside in over the summer. Austin Sehnert, from Boulder, CO, majoring in computer engineering, tried out for the club soccer team, made it and is actually a starting center defense. Recently, the team traveled to a small town in Colorado for regionals and went to Alabama over Thanksgiving break for Nationals. Unfortunately for them, they did not do as well as they hoped in Regionals, but have not given up hope. They are still practicing hard and were headed to Nationals with the intent of bringing home the gold. Phi Gamma Delta has made the transition into college very enjoyable. The house provides so much support for each and every member, pledging or not, with academics, social life, and a good environment to be in. Every single brother that walks the halls is an outstanding role model that we all aspire to be for future classes. We look forward to bettering ourselves and the fraternity as we are taught what it means to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, something that only a select few can say they are a part of, Phi Gamma Delta. Mitchell Hammond (2020) P! Page 3 \r\nHOMECOMING This year, Phi Gamma Delta had great success in the campus-wide Homecoming events. We were paired with our sister sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, as well as Triangle Fraternity, a smaller fraternity that consists of just over twenty members. Overall, we took third out of fourteen Greek pairings that all consisted of three to four houses, which was our highest placing in both Homecoming and Greek Week in numerous years. We placed third place in tournaments, third place in campus decorations and second place in community service, which helped us reach our third overall placing. All the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta are very excited about our recent success in Homecoming and hope to continue this success into Greek Week next semester and into more events in future years. Yell Like Hell First Cuts 1st Place Homecoming Soccer 3rd place Campus Decs SERVICE & PHILANTHROPY The fall semester of 2016 was a successful year for philanthropy between our two for profit philanthropies. We raised $1675 for the USO and $825 for two girls within our own Greek community who are battling cancer. The Homecoming Hot Cider event brought in $850 dollars, all benefiting the USO, while the S’mores roast brought in $1650 with half going to the USO. A quarter of the profits are going to a sister of ΚΑΘ, and the other quarter will go to a sister of ΔΖ. We are also currently having a philanthropy for the local families of the Des Moines area. We asked several Greek chapters if they could find it in their hearts (and their budgets) to help us with getting gifts to families this Holiday season in the form a giving tree. This idea was brought about by Brother Eli Mckeever (2017) and put us above and beyond what we normally do with our philanthropy. This brought our total philanthropy events up to three which is the most that we have had in recent memory. This has been a great semester for philanthropy and FIJI as a whole. Thank you to all of our undergraduate and graduate brothers for helping in our endeavor to serve our countrymen and women and our local communiZach Hansen (2018) Fall 2016 Philanthropy chair Max Loebig (2016) Fall 2016 Philanthropy Co-chair Reggie’s Sleepout in support of the homeless Building treehouses for the Threshold Learning Center Page 4 The 2016 Fiji Smore Roast \r\nAWARD RECOGNITION Owen Cup The Owen Cup is not the most prestigious award that a chapter of Phi Gamma Delta can win, but I believe it should be for many reasons. The Owen Cup has two main aspects: the plan that lays out how the chapter is going to improve its academics and the academic improvement overall since the previous Ekklesia. Winning the Owen Cup means that the chapter has made impressive strides in both of these areas in only two years. The first step in Alpha Iota winning the award was the implementing the Fiji Academic Accountability Plan. The Accountability Plan is a three-strike system, where members start receiving strikes if they receive a GPA lower than 2.66 in any given semester. If a member has any strikes, he will go into a contract with the Chapter that can, but is not limited to, an alcohol ban during weekdays, and mandatory meetings with the Scholarship Chair, President and Graduate Advisor. The second reason Alpha Iota received the award was because of the improvement of our overall Chapter GPA during this time span. The Chapter improved its overall GPA from 3.04 to 3.22 from the spring of 2015 to the spring of 2016. Boston and Ekklesia Experience The most recent Ekklesia in Boston this past summer was a tremendous experience. The members who attended from Alpha Iota were able to meet and network with fellow undergrads and graduates, serve on committees that helped make major decisions in regards to international bylaws and electing new members to the Archonate, and help the community out through a service project. Colby Woodvine (2017) served on the nominations committee, which interviewed the candidates for the open positions on the Archonate. After these interviews, the nominations committee then voted who to elect to each position. Brian Douglas (Tennessee Tech 1998) is the new Archon President, Clark Robertson (Nebraska 1982) is the new Archon Vice President, Nicholas A. Loiacano (Illinois 1974) is the new Archon Treasurer, and Jim Link (Ohio Wesleyan 1982), Josh Holly (Tennessee 1997), and Conner Gregory (Vanderbilt 2018) are the new Archon Councilors. Nate Burger (2016) was the Head of the Resolutions committee. This committee formally and publicly acknowledges any greeting to the fraternity and also any noteworthy public or private service. I took part in the service project where around 100 undergrads and graduates went to a local school to clean their locker room and gym facilities. After all of this business was done, all of the Fiji men went to the Red Sox game at Fenway, which was an unforgettable experience. Page 5 \r\nPURPLE LEGIONNAIRE Q&A Paul Dudley (Iowa State 2012); Alpha Iota Purple Legionnaire Why did you choose Iowa State and FIJI? I chose to attend Iowa State for the engineering program. I originally wanted to be a civil engineer. I also wanted to go somewhere where I knew none of my high school classmates would be. I wanted to create new friendships and experiences. I chose FIJI, because when Matt McLaughlin (2011) cold called me he was confident, didn't stumble on his own words and was enjoyable to talk to. Every other fraternity that called me did not represent themselves well. Then, when I visited the house during my orientation the guys were all great to hang out with! Are you still in touch with your pledge brothers? (What all have you guys done recently?) I am still in contact with several of my pledge brothers. I mostly keep in contact with the pledge class below me (the 2013's). My pledge brothers and I mostly see each other at FIJI weddings. There are several '13s that live in the Des Moines area, and we go out every weekend. Why did you want to be the Purple Legionnaire for our chapter? I wanted to be the PL for the Alpha Iota Chapter because I wanted to give back to the institution that helped mold me into the man I am today. I am a better man because of the experiences I gained through being a pledge and brother of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta! Page 6 What are your main goals as PL? My number one goal is to keep the Chapter going. To do this I will provide advice whenever and wherever I can. With my past experiences on committees and cabinet, I know that I can help guide the undergraduate chapter in a positive way. I also want to show my support in any way that I can. What is your favorite part about being a PL? My favorite part about being PL is being able to give back and be a part of something so great. We all know that Phi Gamma Delta “Is Not for College Days Alone” but as a graduate, it is tough to still feel a part of this great institution. Could you tell us about one of your favorite stories that took place during your time as an undergraduate? I don't really have a single favorite story that comes to mind. My favorite times as an undergraduate were always with brothers. Cheering on the Fiji intramural hockey team late at night. Completing the Beardshear-Curtiss run with our sorority pairing. Getting painted up for Yell Like Hell multiple years in a row. Greek Week Olympics! Winter Formals. Any time us brothers are together we always have a great time! What do you miss most about being an undergraduate? The one thing I miss most about being an undergraduate is creating lasting memories with all of my brothers. Also, I'd have to say Greek Week. In my opinion Greek Week is better than Christmas! One last thing. I will have to say that I miss the first warm spring day... one word...Sundresses! \r\nHAPPY HOLIDAYS to all of our graduate brothers and their families 109th Pig Dinner April 22nd, 2017 Iowa State Alumni Center 420 Beach Ave. Ames, IA Registration fees: $80 online, $100 at the door Golden Owls: Brothers initiated in 1966-1967 Silver Owls: Brothers initiated in 1991-1992 Page 7 \r\nPhi Gamma Delta Fraternity Alpha Iota at Iowa State University 1201 Red Mile Road P.O. Box 4599 Lexington, KY 40544 Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 The Brainstorm was designed and printed by the International Headquarters of Phi Gamma Delta GRADUATING SENIORS Nate Burger Bobby Dunteman Alex Menke Austin Prestidge Caleb Bonderer Isaac Cowan